Time Warp Towns

[Fletch]

I associate time warp towns with neglect. Anymore, it's about the best form of historic preservation and certainly the most cost-effective.

In NY's Hudson Valley, where I lived for quite awhile, the town of Hudson and the city of Troy are known for retaining much of their older character. But it only happened because they were too plagued with crime and decay to be worth redeveloping. That's changing, especially in Hudson, but it's a slow process. Few places have lost as much of their usefulness as the old cities of upstate.

A somewhat happier story is Asheville, NC, which never became a megalopolis because it went so badly into debt during the depression that no new business or improvement happened for close to 30 years. Now it's quite pleasant, and surrounded by natural beauty.

 

[John in Covina]

I hate myself for loving Wal-Mart, but oh how I hate what it does to small towns!

Walmart is like any deal with the devil, you get what you want in the short run and lose other stuff in the long run.

Walmart is a very general store it combines the low end department store with a hardware store, electronics to a varying degree groceries and so on. Most mom and pop stores that carry the same area of items are hard put to compete. The stores that can survive do so if they are specialty stores that offer more items for a better selection and better service. Try to ask about a flat screen TV in Walmart and see what type of answers you get. For many things in Walmart you have to know what you want to buy, it's not a place to come for education on a product. In many areas the products are only good but not better or best. Also, I have found that Walmart does not always offer the lowest price like the cartridges for my inkjet HP are cheaper at Staples or Office Depot consistantly.

Walmart is not the be all to end all place to shop. they offer enough low prices to draw in the crowds and because they have so much stuff people buy a big mix of products "while we're here." So it is a conveniece store more than anything.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I have found a lot of things cheaper elsewhere than Wal-Mart. I buy my bread, buns, and milk at Kwik Trip and all my household cleaning supplies, toiletries at Dollar General. I usually buy just groceries at Wal-Mart.

 

[Adcurium]

Walmart is like any deal with the devil, you get what you want in the short run and lose other stuff in the long run.

Walmart is a very general store it combines the low end department store with a hardware store, electronics to a varying degree groceries and so on. Most mom and pop stores that carry the same area of items are hard put to compete. The stores that can survive do so if they are specialty stores that offer more items for a better selection and better service. Try to ask about a flat screen TV in Walmart and see what type of answers you get. For many things in Walmart you have to know what you want to buy, it's not a place to come for education on a product. In many areas the products are only good but not better or best. Also, I have found that Walmart does not always offer the lowest price like the cartridges for my inkjet HP are cheaper at Staples or Office Depot consistantly.

Wlamart is not the be all to end all place to shop. they offer enough low prices to draw in the crowds and because they have so much stuff people buy a big mix of products "while we're here." So it is a conveniece store more than anything.

I shop at Walmart, from time-to-time. But, I've got to tell you... I HATE WALMART, and I HATE shopping there. I won't get into politics but I think Walmart is ruining our country. I'm sure I'll be flamed for making that comment, but from what I know, and at this point in my life, I honestly think so. (So I'm saying maybe I don't understand the situation completely, and maybe my opinion will change.)

I understood that the reason they put a lot of oher shops out of business is b/c they have all their inventory on consignment and most other shops can't come close to getting that kind of inventory. And since smaller shops don't have the 'selling power' of Walmart, smaller shops aren't in a position to get their inventory on consignment.

I just don't think Walmart is as "All American" as they would like us to think.

Sorry for the rant.

 

[rue]

^ I agree.
Walmart is the devil and I hate going there, but I go once a month to by paper goods like TP and also bulk items to make my cleaning supplies. All the other stuff I buy at a mom and pop grocer here in our town. The only reason I buy anything else there or at Kroger is if the mom and pop doesn't have what I need, which is actually pretty rare.

 

[John in Covina]

For vendors Walmart is one of the worst places to sell to, along with Autozone and Sears. If you think of the old joke about the 800 pound gorilla then Walmart is the 1000 pound gorilla. Walmart has a tremendous buying power advantage and can request things of vendors that goes beyond reasonable and because there are companies that can not with stand the loss of the volume that goes with selling to Walmart they must cave in. I have heard that Walmart has forced companies to close manufacturing in the US in favor of China factories to lower the prices. Don't know if it is true but I fear it probably is true.

I often equate Walmart with the store in Wall-E called Buy N Large.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

The only thing I really buy at Wally World are the padded mailers that I use to ship out books. It's probably the only thing there that's made in the USA.

 

[Travis Lee Johnston]

Wal-Marts every two miles wouldn't exist unless loads of people shopped there. A lot of it is mediocre stuff, but mediocrity sells. Look how many Subways there are.:lol:

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Here in Southern California you don't generally find the time warp factor quite as encompassing as the pictures and descriptions show elsewhere. But tucked away in some areas are small chunks of time warp or bits and pieces, little islands of time warp.

Pomona has some areas like by the Antique Row on Second Street. Those buildings are old with the small shops, the bigger stores and that former department store antiques mall. Near by are blocks of older buildings, the theater where they have concerts now, old churches. There is a neat old YMCA that has great architecture and some old school building that would make great movie locations.

There are little pockets of history here and there.

i'd love to get to visit some f those towns people have posted one day.

I remember 2nd Street in Pomona before it was fixed up. Talk about urban decay. If you wanted to film a movie about a Post-Apocalyptic world, 2nd Street would have made the perfect location back then. Over twenty years ago I knew somebody who owned a block of 2nd Street. He used the buildings to store electronic components, including tons of vintage vacuum tubes. I remember looking through the window of one of the buildings on the next block and part of the roof had caved in!

 

[Adcurium]

I have heard that Walmart has forced companies to close manufacturing in the US in favor of China factories to lower the prices. Don't know if it is true but I fear it probably is true.

I often equate Walmart with the store in Wall-E called Buy N Large.

John, that is exactly the same info I have. In fact, I have a friend who works for the Federal Govt. in a very particular (and public) capacity who gave me that info. He'll often say something like "When I see everyone feeling patriotic around the 4th of July and hanging up their flags I want to say to them "Hanging your flag doesn't make you a patriot in any way. If you love your country, STOP shopping at Walmart!"" He was also called back to Washington several years ago to explain his behavior when, during a national crisis a Walmart Exec went to his office and said "Please tell us if there is anything we can do." He then responded "Yeah, there is something you can do, you can stop ruining our country."

 

[Tiller]

I love Wal-Mart. lol. In fact they are good at supplying cheap priced banana's and other foreign goods that I can't get at the local farmers market. If you don't like Wal-Mart stop shopping there, and pay higher prices at other places.

I hate Citgo, so I don't buy anything from them. I have a problem with the PDVSA, but then again I have a problem with all nationally owned companies in principle, but then again we are suppose to be avoiding our own political opinions around here aren't we ;-).

 

[Mr. Hallack]

What I am happy about is Wal-Mart here doesn't seem to have affected our local stores. If it has, I'm not aware of any damage. Now they want to build a mega Wal-Mart in the next town over (Thomaston) Not sure if they will close the one in Rockland if they do.

I go there if I need to go there, not out of want. And honestly their prices don't really seem any cheaper than the independent stores here.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The damage Walmart did to Rockland was when they first came -- Senter Crane's, the local department store downtown (where the Island Institute is now) went under almost immediately. Newberry's held out a couple more years, but they disappeared shortly after. Crie's Hardware (where the Second Read is now) went under around the same time.

Someone told me the Rockland Walmart is the smallest one in the US, which I can believe based on some of the others I've been in.

 

[AmateisGal]

Not a fan of Wal-Mart. Near my hometown, they left a shopping mall to go build a "super" Wal-Mart - the mall has barely survived and now, even 10 years later, they still have not rented out their former building at the mall to anyone. It just sits there, vacant.

As far as time warp towns...my hometown could *almost* qualify. The main street has stayed pretty well the same for years. We did have a cool theater once upon a time, but it fell into such a state of disrepair that they had to tear it down because it was a hazard.

 

[John in Covina]

Malls are interesting because there seems to be so much that affects their popularity. Good "anchor" stores will make for a good draw most of the times but not always.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

Litchfield Illinois has a current Walmart superstore and two old Walmarts within sight of the current one. The oldest Walmart started up back in the early 1970's. They moved across the street to a new large strip mall. The Walmart was at one end, with a Kroger at the other end. The Kroger closed when Super-Walmart (with Grocery Store) opened up. Oddly enough, the really old style IGA across the street is still open, and they're all UNION members. HIgher prices that WalMart, but better meat and fresh foods. One of the girls I went to high school with considers her Walmart job to be the best one she's ever had. She has a 401K, retirement etc.

Not where I expected this to go when I started it, but then having "expectations" online is kind of pointless...

 

[4spurs]

I thought Wal-Mart was the Chinese Trade Mission; you mean it's an American company? I've never seen anything made in America in one.

 

[rue]

Back when Walmart started they advertised that they only sold American made products, when the original owner sold the company or died (can't remember which) it stopped selling stuff made just in the USA.

 

[Kirk H.]

Hi

I found this while I was supposed to be working.

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-38846833

"Time-warp towns are those out-of-time discoveries that make for road-trip gold: downtowns populated with of former Woolworths-turned- antiques booth malls, neon signs for Rheingold or Schaeffer, gingerbread detailing, town squares, monuments, cobblestones, and/or apple pie! The buildings where the local history was made are still standing, and if you squint it seems like you’ve gone back in time."

The towns are Oxford Mississippi, San Angelo Texas, Galena Illinois, Truckee California, Harrisville New Hampshire, Paducah Kentucky, Salida Colorado, Lititz Pennsylvania, and New Bedford Massachusetts, I've been to Paducah Kentucky a few times and they have a pretty nice downtown.

Later

We have some nice time warp towns here in North Carolina with several of them being used in period movies. Also there seems to be a push by preservation NC to revitalize a lot of the old downtown buildings. The small town of Kings Mountain even has an old theater that was still functioning as of a couple of years ago. The City of Gastonia is working hard to revitalize their old main street. They have turned several of the old buildings into condos, restaurants, and other shops. There is also an old theater that is being refurbished with plans to become a dinner theater. What I like is that instead of tearing the great old buildings down, they are restoring them. I got to go into one of the old office buildings several years ago and it was like going back in time, pebbled glass and wood and even the old cage elevator.

Kirk H.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I know a lot of people that prefer our IGA over our Wal-Mart or that shop at the Piggly Wiggly here in Pardeeville and say to heck with the trip to Portage. Frankly, if it wasn't to buy beer, I don't think my family would ever shop at the IGA, money talks. They won't give our Wal-Mart a Liquor License, they know it'll kill off so many businesses.